Benson Amps Portable Distortion 424 MKII vs Source Audio ZIO
The Benson Amps Portable Distortion 424 MKII and the Source Audio ZIO are both pedals sharing high headroom, bright, transparent. The Benson Amps Portable Distortion 424 MKII leans saturated and edge of breakup. Current prices: $199 vs $179.99.
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Blended from circuit-archetype lineage, dynamic feel, tone-signal overlap and tone-vector distance — the tone vector itself is derived from editorial description text, not a measured acoustic signal, so this reflects how similarly the catalog copy describes the two, not a lab measurement. Shown only within a gear class, and only where there's enough evidence to be meaningful.34% — somewhat different
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Derived from overlapping tonal signals across both listings.- high headroom
- bright
- transparent
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Citation/mention fame — how often this gear is cited across artist rigs and gear discussion.$199via Reverb
$179.99via Reverb
The Benson Amps 424 MKII is a preamp and distortion pedal designed to recreate the saturation and harmonic character of the input stage of the Tascam Portastudio 424 MkII cassette four-track recorder. The circuit captures the non-linear behavior of cassette-era input electronics, spanning from subtle coloration and clean boost through compressed broadband distortion and unstable breakup. A switchable front-end buffer fundamentally alters the gain structure: engaged, it presents a high-impedance guitar input with tighter low end and increased headroom; bypassed, the circuit returns to a darker, fuzzier low-impedance cassette response. Four controls -- gain, trim, bass, treble -- cover a wide EQ range. Internal 18V operation provides increased headroom. Made by Benson Amps in Portland, Oregon.
The Source Audio ZIO is an all-analogue front end and boost pedal offering four distinct preamp circuits, each with up to 20dB of gain. ZIO stands for impedance, input and output: the input impedance is calculated to optimise a high-impedance guitar pickup and pass it on as a sweetened low-impedance signal, so the pedal doubles as a high-quality buffer for long cable runs. JFET mode is a completely transparent boost with no colouring or distortion. Low-Cut trims tubby bottom end for a tighter, more focused sound with added headroom. Studio applies the classic Pultec trick, cutting mud frequencies while adding midrange articulation and clarity. E-Plex captures the focused, subtly gritty character of the preamp in a vintage Echoplex tape delay, adding warmth and a gentle upper-midrange lift. As useful as an always-on tone conditioner as it is a boost.
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Genres this gear is documented as being used in.- Electronic
- Experimental
- Indie
- Indie Rock
- alternative
- saturated
- edge of breakup
- harmonically rich
- fuzzy
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Occasions this gear suits — judged per model, or derived from its wattage, connectivity and category.- Live
- Silent Recording
- Studio